Audrey's Favorite Makeup Tips!

Hello beauties,
Well, a lot of you have asked me I do to create the perfect face.  Here, I will reveal my secrets!

Step 1: Moisturize.  The first key to preventing dry skin is to drink a lot of water, use plenty of moisturizer before bed, and use sunscreen on your face if you need it.  I'm not a big fan of sunscreen, but I always make sure to put sunscreen on my lips...sunburnt lips are the worst!  Anyways, the first step for moisturizing when doing your makeup is to use Laura Mercier's oil free Tinted Moisturizer.

This product is AMAZING and well worth the price.  Because it's oil free, it won't clog your pores, and it has built-in sunscreen.  It comes in shades to match every skin tone (I use SAND).  So first step is to use your fingers or a sponge and evenly spread the moisturizer over your face.  If you want a little more coverage and evenness, you can then dab on just a tiny drop of Laura's silk creme foundation on your cheeks (I use PEACH IVORY color).  You don't need much though.

Step 2:  The eyes.  I begin by using Maybelline Unstoppable Eyeliner (in onyx, though it comes in several different colors) to line just above my bottom lashes.

Simply trace below your eyes from outside corner to inside corner, as thick of a line as you desire.  Now comes the fun part.  Pick whatever color eyeliner you want!  I have blue eyes, so browns help my eyes stand out a lot.  However, I am a huge fan of colorful eyeshadow.  My favorite products to use are Laura Mercier matte eye colors.  I play around a lot with different colors, but for a basic look, I'll do the following:  apply a light color (such as Fresco) below my eyebrows and on the inside corners of my eyes.  Then apply Truffle colored shadow all over my eyelids, followed by a Ginger color on my brow bones to blend the colors together.  Regardless of what color shades you are using, the KEY is to go dark to light--keep the darks closer to your eyes and go light as you go up.  And make sure to blend!  My favorite products for bold colors are the Maybelline EyeStudio Color Explosion eye shadows:

After finishing your color, it's time for mascara.  I have tried every single kind of mascara you can imagine, and Laura Mercier's Full Blown Volume Mascara puts all other products to shame:

Laura also has a lengthening mascara, which is great if you have short lashes.  Since my lashes are long, I try to volumize.  But seriously, this mascara is PHENOMENAL!!!

Step 3: The lips.  My favorite part.  I have experimented with every kind of lip product imaginable...I'm kind of a fanatic when it comes to lips!  I like to decorate my lips in 3 steps.  First, as I've said before, moisturize.  Chapped lips are not fun.  Therefore, I always carry chapstick with me, wherever I go, and I've found that Carmex lip balm is the best.  After coating your lips with chapstick, then it's time for the lipstick!  Not everyone likes lipstick, so if you don't feel like wearing it, skip this step.  But if you do, my favorite lipstick products are Lip Perfection lipsticks from CoverGirl.

After putting on as much or as little lipstick as you like, finish off your lips with Laura Mercier Lip Glace (I use Violet color).  Another product that is so amazing that it is well worth the price.

Step 4:  Polish and finish.  Now it's the time to just polish up your face and finish the look.  Use Laura Mercier's Secret Camouflage to dot over any blemishes you might have, brush Laura's Golden Mosaic bronzer over your face (the bronzing duo is nice as well but a more dramatic bronze), dab on some blush to the apples of your cheeks, and finish off by brushing on a bit of Laura's Translucent Pressed Setting Powder (oil free--in fact soaks up oils from your skin).

And now you're done!  Keep in mind, you do not have to do this full makeup routine every time you leave the house.  These are just my tips for doing a fully made-up face.  Once you get the hang of it, you can do a full face in under 10 minutes.  Have fun and stay beautiful!!

xoxo

Audrey

2012 Color of the Year...TANGERINE TANGO!!!

Is orange really the new pink?  Well more precisely, Tangerine Tango is the new Honeysuckle.
Yes, it's true, the official Pantone 2012 Color of the Year is...(*drum roll*)....TANGERINE TANGO!!!

So pull out all of your oranges, or go buy some new oranges!  Even if you don't have the specific "tangerine tango" shade, oranges of all shades are very in right now.  Let's take a look at a few of my favorite orange pieces I've found lately:

DOONEY AND BOURKE HANDBAG:

This Dooney and Bourke leather purse is a show-stopper.  Wear it as a handbag, or attach the straps for an over-the-shoulder satchel.  This bag has top-of-the-line quality leather (as one would expect), and the fabulous color adds a pop of fun to any outfit.

JIMMY CHOO SANDALS:

As we head towards the warmer weather of spring, a platform heeled sandal in bright orange is a great way to spice up any outfit.  What better way to welcome the change of season?  Patent leather, criss cross straps...you can't go wrong with a Jimmy Choo Vamp Platform Sandal.

BCBGMAXAZRIA COLORBLOCK DRESS:

The moment I saw this BCBG Sleeveless Colorblock dress, I absolutely fell in love with it.  If you want heads to turn, this is the dress that will do it.  The pink/orange/red combo has been a big trend lately, as has color blocking, and this dress mixes these warm colors together beautifully.

There you have it, some of my favorite pieces that incorporate the tangerine trend.  Until next time,

xoxo

Audrey

Hair Products--switch it up!

This one's for the girls:
Usually I talk about fashion or makeup, but in this post I wanna talk about hair, specifically hair products.  Hair products are extremely important for keeping your hair healthy, moisturized, volumized, and shiny.  One thing a lot of people don't know is that it's important to MIX UP YOUR HAIR PRODUCTS, i.e., don't use the same product all the time.  This is because your hair gets used to certain products, making the products you currently are using less effective.  As a result, I would recommend occasionally switching the products you use, or alternating between products.  I myself have tried out a LOT of different ones, and here are some of my favorites:

Shampoo/Conditioner:

Phytocitrus Restructuring Shampoo--works great for color-treated hair, and leaves your hair smelling citrus-y and looking radiant and shiny!

Redken Extreme Shampoo paired with Redken All-Soft Conditioner--these two paired together are absolutely phenomenal.  The shampoo lathers well into your hair for a deep cleansing, and the conditioner is probably the best I have ever used and leaves your hair very soft and moisturized.

Leave-In Products:

Kerasate Oleo Relax Leave-In Conditioner--reduces frizz, conditions your hair, and smells like roses.  Apply 2-4 pumps to damp hair and then another pump to dry hair to finish it off.

Phyto 7 Hydrating Botanical Cream paired with Phytolisse Finishing Serum--work a pea-sized glob of the cream into damp hair, then rub finishing serum over dry hair to add brilliance.

ENJOY Intensive Hair and Skin Treatment Oil--work a little glob (don't overdo) into wet hair.  This oil will lock in the moisture into your hair but best of all, REDUCES DRYING TIME.  I use it, and it really does make your hair dry much quicker.

Redken Outshine 01 Anti-Frizz Polishing Milk--apply to damp hair to reduce frizziness and add incredible shine.  Leaves your hair feeling light and smooth.

QUICK TIP: When using any leave-in conditioner, be sure to work the product more heavily/thoroughly to the tips of your hair.  The end of your hair tends to get dryer (and get split ends) because the natural oils that your head produces can't work their way down to the ends as much.

So there are my recommendations!  I have used and still do use all of the products above.  I'm a huge fan of hair, so trust me, I have tried out tons of different products and these are what I've found to be the best.  I have pretty dry hair (partially a result of color-treatment), so I look for products that do a really good job of moisturizing/conditioning and getting rid of frizz.

So try out these products--you won't be disappointed!

xoxo

Audrey

Fall 2011--FASHION TRENDS!!!!!

Hello hello fashionistas,

In my last post, we covered the beauty trends for the Fall 2011 season.  Now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for—this season’s fashion trends!  Let’s take a look:

-BORDEAUX—As with lipstick, Bordeaux is the big color for this season.  We’re seeing this on dresses, shoes, bags, blouses, accessories, everything.  Such a haute, hot color.

-COLORBLOCKING—Colorblocking is a fun way to bring a variety of colors into your outfits this fall.  You don’t need all sorts of complex patterns to create an interesting outfit.  Try combining big sections of solid colors for a fun way to put solids together and bring lots of color into your outfits.

 -POLKA DOTS—No explanation necessary.

-BOLD GOLD JEWELRY—This season, you can have fun with metallics.  As opposed to simple, modest jewelry, think big, bold, and gold.  Don’t be afraid to use large pieces of jewelry and make a statement.

-HANDHELD BAGS—This is a big trend for this season.  Forget about long shoulder straps and try bags with short handles for a very sophisticated look.

Combination of handheld bag, fur, colorblocking,
bordeaux lips, and tuxedo-style jackets in Gucci's
Fall 2011 collection.

-FUR—Yes, fur is a big trend for many of the premier designers this fall.  You can include fur both in subtle ways, such as fur trimming on shoes, as well as bold ways, such as a fur vest or a colorful fur coat!

-TUXEDOS—…on women!  Designers are loving the look of a tuxedo-style, fitted jacket.  Very sophisticated and very sexy.  Try a black and white tux for a classic look, or spice up your look with a colorful or sparkly tuxedo jacket.

Beyonce in a D&G purple tuxedo jacket.

-BRIGHT PANTS—Solid-colored pants in any and every color are in.  So stop hiding in your plain blue jeans and black pants and instead wear the boldest, brightest colors you can find.

-Shoe trends—REPTILE skin shoes, SUEDE, WEDGES, and of course BOOTS, both ankle-high booties and thigh-high boots.  Perhaps try over-the knee black suede stiletto boots?

Alright, now we've covered some of the brightest, boldest, most fun fashion trends for this season.  Have fun and rock these trends!

xoxo

Audrey

Fall 2011: BEAUTY TRENDS!!!

Well hello there, beauties,
Sadly, summer is coming to an end :(.  However, the good news is that beauty trends for this fall are chic, playful, and fun.  Let's take a look:


-WINE-COLORED LIPS: bordeaux if probably the biggest trend in beauty we'll see this season, so grab all your burgundies, scarlets, and reds to create a dramatic pop of deep color on your lips.

-DEFINED BROWS: another big trend is the bold, defined, natural-looking eyebrows

-METALLIC EYESHADOW: the smokey eye is very in this season, but with a more metallic and colorful twist.  This fall will see darker, more dramatic, but more shimmery shadows.  Be bold with your colors.  Seafoam green shadows are also very in.

-BLACK EYELINER: add some black liner not only above but also BELOW the eyes for a dramatic look.  Pair this with some gold shimmer and then add a thick coat of MASCARA TO EMPHASIZE LONG LASHES on both the upper and lower lashes

-PINK CHEEKS: be sure to add some blush to create bold cheeks

-NAIL TRENDS: metallics, nude colors, GLITTER, bold colors, maroons/wine-colored

Well, there you have it, a guide to the biggest beauty trends for the Fall 2011 season!  Next time, we'll look at this season's fashion trends.  Until then,

xoxo

Audrey 

CONTEST WINNER ANNOUNCED!!!

Hey beauty lovers,

Sorry I have been MIA the last few months, busy times...but I am back and ready to start beauty blogging again!  Remember our Spring outfit contest?  Well, the winner is......

guacamole1's "Spring Outfit"!!!

Thanks to all who participated in the contest; there were a lot of FABULOUS entries!  Let's talk about why this outfit won though, shall we? Well, I chose this outfit as the winner because it incorporated many elements that were very in for the Spring season, as well as some of my personal favorite fashion trends.  This was such an Audrey outfit.  Orange was a very in color that season, and a fun orange dress is a really great piece to have for a sunny day!  I'm also a huge fan of belting a dress, because it adds extra interest to a plain-colored dress as well as emphasizing a narrow, well-defined waist.  The cardigan went great with the feel of the dress, the gold jewelry and strappy sandals (very Stuart Weitzman-esque...my fave shoe designer) and purse and all the accessories were very tasteful.  My favorite touch of all, and a big reason of why I chose this outfit, was the addition of the large hat because big hats were a MUST-HAVE accessory for this season!!!!  The hat really was the final piece that tied the whole outfit together and made it an A+!  Coming soon, we'll shift our focus to hair/beauty tips, as well as taking a look at some new trends (makeup trends perhaps?) for the end of summer/upcoming fall season!

xoxo

Audrey

Polyvore -- CONTEST!!!

This just in: CONTEST!!!!  (more details below)

I discovered the absolute COOLEST site ever: polyvore.com
You can basically create any outfit you want out of any clothing item, accessory, jewerly, makeup, shoes, anything that exists!  It's free to sign up (you don't even need to provide a real email address, takes like 5 seconds), and you can even "clip" items that polyvore doesnt have from other websites onto polyvore.  And then you can publish your items and even post them to a blog, like I did below:


Chic party outfit by avptv25 featuring couture jewelry

So I basically think this is the coolest website of all time!  And I have decided to have a little CONTEST!  For the next few weeks, I want YOU all to create the coolest outfit you can on polyvore (it's not very hard to use, I promise).  Include anything you want: dresses, skirts, tops, jackets, shoes, purses, nailpolish, jewelry, scarves, hats, makeup, backgrounds, anything you want in your outfits.  Then publish (you just click publish--and yes you will have to sign up but as I said above you don't need to even provide a real email address) your outfit, and email or facebook message me the link to your outfit.  Or, if you wish to remain anonymous, comment the link on this post.
At the end of the few weeks, I will select a WINNER!!!  Yay!  I really encourage everyone to participate!  It is so much fun, and you can see if you really have good fashion knowledge.  And I'm happy to critique your outfits as well if you'd like advice.  I promise, it doesn't take that long to use polyvore and it's super fun.  Now go ahead and create!